Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Homeless Patients Visiting the Emergency Department?

Abstract

Objective: Our aim was to compare emergency department visits among homeless patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: We retrospectively examined data from homeless patients who visited a city hospital's emergency department in Istanbul between March 11, 2018, and March 10, 2022. The study included patients over 18 years old who were registered in the hospital's automation system as "homeless" or "living on the street," and who had sought social service support. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, chi-squared test, Fisher's exact chi-squared test, Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact chi-squared test, and Yates continuity correction test were utilized for data analysis. Results: The study encompassed a total of 105 homeless patients, with 85 (81%) being male and aged between 18 and 88 years. The mean age was 44.54±16.25 years. Of the patients, 21.9% visited the emergency department before the pandemic, and 78.1% visited during the pandemic. Among homeless patients suspected of COVID-19, 20% who visited the emergency department tested positive for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Conclusion: Our findings indicate an increase in the number of homeless patients seeking care in the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic